The Fighters (Peregrine x AkikoYukito)

[Ashi]

Overview

• A young girl was found who had the ability to know all facts and information in the world. She was taken as a child by a secret branch of the Government, who raised her as a loyal citizen, ready to sacrifice everything for her country. But the gifts of her brain were not matched in her body, and a neurological disorder left her unfit for active duty. Wishing to do more, she used her ability to track down her counterpart, a young man born with the muscle memory to do anything and the physically-capable body to support his range of talents.
  
  However, where the young woman was raised with love and care, never wanting for any need, the young man was raised in poverty and abuse, having to fight to claim any scrap that the world would allow him to take. Uncouth, rude, and insubordinate, he is the opposite of the woman who finds him in almost every respect.
  
  Will these two be able to find a way to work off of each other's strengths and support each other's weaknesses in time to save not only the US, but the world as we know it?

Outside the window, scenery flashed, zipping by like a film on fast forward. Sunlight shone over the high-rises, the tops of the tall buildings black against it. Their tinted windows cast bright white glares that no pair of sunglasses could dim. The street was packed with cars, perhaps a ridiculous amount of traffic for the time of day. There were just as many people as vehicles, the sidewalk nearly spilling over with pedestrians trying to get to unknown destinations or window shopping. Vienna stared out the window of the van and grinned, taking in everything yet letting it all pass her by at once. It wasn't often that she went out, much less on a road trip. To see a place as far away from home as Chicago was exciting. As interesting as it would be to get out and explore the city, there was no time.

There was a reason Vienna didn't go out much, a reason which stemmed multiple other little reasons that she thought of more as excuses. She was unique, unlike any other person in the world that anyone knew of. She had a gift that she was told time and time again had to be kept secret and safe. It was always to protect her; but she knew that her limited mobility was part of the issue and her family simply didn't want to address it. None of that mattered at that moment, though. What mattered was the mission, the task at hand. Vienna let go of the pale white curtain that covered the window of the van, turning to look around her. Immediately in front of her, in the driver's seat, was a middle-aged man, Steve. His brownish hair had receded beyond his temples, giving him an exaggerated widow's peak. He had surprisingly little gray for a man his age, gray which was only yet evident in his facial hair when he hadn't shaved. As if he felt her eyes, the man glanced up into the rear-view mirror at Vienna and smiled wanly, running a hand over his stubbled jaw.

Next to him was a woman of copper-colored hair and green eyes. Sharona, or Shari as Vi often called her, was Steve's wife. She looked back with a smile and reached a thin hand back to pat Vienna's knee. Next to Vienna sat Toni, a man tan with dark curly hair. His head rested on his palm, elbow supported on the arm of the seat; his eyes were closed. The trip to Chicago had taken just shy of a whole day to make, not including stops for fuel and food and bathroom breaks. Steve, Sharona, and Toni would take turns driving, alternating when one got tired so they could each get some sleep. Vienna hardly slept a wink the entire trip.

The traffic dispersed as they got closer to the campus. They made the trip to visit the college there; although, not in hopes of anyone attending. Rather there was a student they were looking for, a young man. Steve parked as close to the building as possible if just to make it easier for Vi. He got her wheelchair out of the back of the van and helped her out. She was already wheeling her way to the doors of the building before Toni had gotten out of the van. The electric doors slid back with a swoosh, a cool breeze of air conditioning tossing the young woman's dark, shoulder-length curls. Few people walked about, and those who did looked at her strangely. Vienna paid them no mind and wheeled to where she heard voices: the cafeteria.

 

[Peregrine]

After four years at the University of Illinois and two years as the captain of the basketball team, pretty much everyone knew Tyrell Mathis, by face if not by name. Almost all of them also knew that despite being in his fourth year of a four-year mechanical engineering degree, he had failed so many classes that he was going to be here for at least another year, maybe two. But even those who knew nothing about him except what was circulated by the rumor mill knew that wasn't for lack of effort. On top of being considered one of the best basketball players that the college had ever seen, he was also generally acknowledged as one of the hardest working students to pass through these halls. Every single one of his teachers found him at their door within the first week of class, and the free tutors in his subjects would find him at their seminars for at least an hour every day they were offered. Everyone knew that Tyrell could not remember anything the first time he was told it for longer than a couple of minutes. But only one person knew, if not fully understood, why Ty had turned down an offer from the NBA to continue studying at a college he was nearly flunking out of. Emily Taul sat across from him now, nearly hidden behind the back of a vertical piano, where Ty himself was seated.

Emily seemed Ty's opposite in every possible respect. She was a short, petite, blonde haired, blue eyed, pale skinned girl, with a 4.0 GPA and a seeming mastery over everything academic. When they walked side by side his already dark skin turned to pitch against her porcelain shade, and the only thing that separated him from a shadow was his wild, dreaded mane of shockingly auburn hair and the whites of his eyes. Emily and he had met their sophomore year when he had come in for tutoring in chemistry, and she had become not only his most reliable teacher, but also a fast and true friend. It was she who, upon discovery that he could play piano just as well as he could play basketball, had convinced him to take half an hour a day to play for a little while. She had told him that doing something where there were no expectations would be good for him, and he had accepted her advice, even if he knew it was not strictly true. For the first week or so Tyrell had only played to please her, but when the rest of the school had figured out that he would play pretty much any song they could request his brief recitals had somehow turned into a school wide event. The one day he had tried to stop, ten different people had approached him, asking if he was going to play. After that, the only days he had taken off were the day of a game, or the day before and of a major exam.

That was why he was sitting at the piano that minute, enthusiastically beating out the closing part of Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and trying his best to keep his eyes from the radiant smile on Emily's face as she swayed from side to side to the sound of the music. His mind, although no one knew it, was studiously on anything but what his fingers were doing as they danced across the piano keys. For the most part he kept his thoughts completely silent, trying to think about nothing, but he could still picture the fierce but silent battle that would be going on behind him as his song drew to a close. There were always more people with requests than there was time for, and the well established war was as much a part of the tradition at this point as the playing of the song. Ty never let it bother him. By the time the song finished and he turned around, there would be only one person making a request, and the song wouldn't last longer than four or five minutes. That was the tradition.

The final refrain echoed across the hall, and there was a quick but enthusiastic bout of applause. Tyrell smiled as he turned around. "What's next?"

 

[Ashi]

"Vienna! You come back here! Vienna!" Steve called across the parking lot, watching through squinted eyes as she disappeared through the doors of the college. He started to march towards the building when Sharona came around the van and placed a hand on his arm. "Steve, she'll be fine for two minutes." She soothed mock-seriously, giving his arm a pat. The older man frowned but nodded and walked with her and Toni to the building. Vienna was nowhere in sight when they entered; although, they had a hunch when they heard music. "You go see, I'll sign us in." Toni said and turned to head towards the office. The couple followed the sound of the music to the doors of the cafeteria wherein they saw Vienna. She wasn't too far from the door, wheelchair idle at the back of the crowd of students.

Vienna sat just a yard or so in the doors of the cafeteria. It was where she stopped, observing the people. They were all so foreign to her, as she was to them, and it showed on the faces of those who noticed her presence. Her brow was knit closely together, puzzled blue eyes searching amongst the faces for that specific student. Unfortunately, being in the wheelchair, she was shorter than everyone else. She was more than certain he was playing the piano; getting there was the only obstacle. She jumped, startled when Sharona's hand came down on her shoulder. Vi glanced back over her shoulder at her and Steve, grinning.

"How many times must I tell you not to wander off like that?" Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You find him?" Sharona asked to which Vienna nodded. "He's at the p-piano." She placed her hands on the wheels of her chair and leaned forward, prepared to move. Steve motioned to stop her, but Sharona caught his hand and shook her head at him. He sighed again and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. They didn't need to ask how she knew. Vienna wheeled around the crowd, towards the piano. Some students moved aside to let her through, closing the gap again immediately after. Luckily enough, the song just ended and the student in question was inquiring about the next request.

"U-um.." Vi started, pausing momentarily to decide what song to ask for. "Could you p-play Liszt's Hungarian Rhap-sody? The second half?" She bit her lower lip and reached a hand up to brush aside her black hair. Her hand jerked a couple of times before she hastily put it back down. Her eyes flickered between Tyrell and the blonde on the other side of the piano, her gaze almost pleading. "P-please?"

At the back, Antoni joined Steve and Sharona by the doors, watching with piqued interest.

 

[Peregrine]

Ty glanced in surprise as the young woman rolled towards the piano. He had seen most everyone within the college, and he could say with certainty that he had never seen her before. She was pretty, with short dark hair and bright eyes. Ty had to force himself not to stare at her legs in curiosity about why she was wheelchair bound, and it was only for that reason he caught the jerking in her hand as she tried to tuck the lose strand of hair behind her face. He quickly glanced away to keep himself from being rude, but promptly realized that could be rude as well.

A little ways to the side, Tyrell saw the person who had been just about to make the request. He was a young man from the baseball team, who rarely ever came in for lunch, and it was obvious from the expression on his face that he was furious that his chance to make a request had been snatched out from under him. He was just about to make a very vocal objection when his friend elbowed him painfully in the ribs before pointing to the young woman. Or, perhaps more accurately, pointed to her wheelchair. The other man blushed ever so faintly and closed his mouth. It was only then that Ty realized that she must be more than used to the looks people have her. It was that thought that gave him the confidence to meet her eyes easily.

Ty had never heard of Liszt or the Hungarian Rhapsody before. He had certainly heard of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and for a moment he had thought that was the song she was asking for, as it was one he had played on numerous occasions. All the same, he nodded agreeably. "Sure. I'll give it a shot."

He was so busy making sure to keep his gaze mild and his focus proper that he didn't notice the expression on Emily's face turn from amusement to confusion, and perhaps mild fear. If he had been paying attention, perhaps he would have gathered that the song he was about to attempt was nothing like the Bohemian Rhapsody, and he was about to get himself into a whole mess of trouble. Instead, he turned his fingers to the keys and his mind to Young's Modulus of Response to Stresses, which he and Emily had been going over again just before they came to lunch.

There was a faint moment of silence, and then his fingers began to move. At first the melody was light and sweet, carried only by his right hand. He could hear that it was mildly complex, but it was not more dramatic than some of the songs he had played before. His left hand began to add in notes lightly, first on the left side, and then on the right side. He should have guessed from the fact that his hands were crossing over one another that the song was going to end up being more complex than he should play, but it was still okay, and he couldn't help but remember the excitement in her eyes when she had made the request.

Suddenly, however, it all changed. In an instant the notes were flying out faster than his ear could keep up with, and his mind barely caught it in time for his fingers to stumble over the truly remarkable notes. His playing ground to a halt.

"Sorry," he said, trying to paste an easy smile over the uncertainty and confusion of the moment. It was almost blatantly obvious that something had just gone wrong. He had never stopped in the middle of a song before. Some he had turned down, of course, when people made silly requests, but he had never stopped after starting before. People were staring. Ty had made a mistake, and now he was trying to cover for it without letting on that it had even happened. "I don't think I'm going to be able to pull that off."

 

[Ashi]

Vienna didn't need to look around her to know everyone was staring at her. She could feel the stares of the eyes of the many students gathered round, boring into her very being with clinical curiosity. It wasn't even that she was very comfortable with or used to being stared at. It was something she had learned, for the most part, to tune out. Besides, she was far too focused on Ty to pay anything else any mind. She didn't notice when the basketball player, whose turn it was to make a request, seemed to be about to object or when his friend indicated her wheelchair. She didn't notice the way the blonde girl screwed up her face at the mention of the song. All Vienna noticed was the confidence that shone in Ty's eyes and his fingers on the keys.

Simply from the young man's words, Vienna assumed that he didn't know what song he was about to play. Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody was a rather complicated piece, one that took skill to play perfectly. She leaned forward slightly in her chair as Ty poised his fingers on the keys. Her blue gaze was sharp; the excitement in her eyes churned with anxiety. All of her hopes, as well as the entire purpose of the long trip to Chicago, weighed heavily on whether or not he could play the song. If not, it was back to square one.

Slowly, a grin spread across the young woman's face as the first notes jingled from the piano. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, both in amazement and relief. Ty's playing quickly picked up, one hand crossing over the other. He was doing quite well; then suddenly he stopped. Vienna blinked, coming back to herself, and looked at Ty in surprise. Her smile drooped, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. Why had he stopped? He hadn't made any mistakes, yet he was apologizing. The song had yet to really get into the complicated part.

"But you were doing so well." Vi objected lightly, clearly disappointed. He hardly even gave it a chance and decided to quit. That wasn't enough to determine whether or not he was indeed the person she was looking for. She absolutely needed to know. "P-Please, try again." She implored, perhaps a bit too passionately, her eyes glassy as if with tears. "Won't you give it another sh-shot?"

 

[Peregrine]

Ty was torn. On the one hand he was a very compassionate person, who oftentimes did thing just to bring a smile to someone's face. The expression on her face, not even counting her words, was enough to tug at his heart and draw his fingers back to the keys. But, on the other hand, Ty had spent his whole life learning how to hide exactly how capable he was. Something in his heart told him that his life would be over if even a few people fully understood that he could do just about anything. It had never really been a problem up until that point. On the court he would occasionally draw his mind back into the game, trying to actually choose the correct action, and using that as a method to fumble the ball or a pass. At the piano he was careful never to attempt songs created by the famous classical composers. Most of the time it was hardly a problem, as college students rarely asked for things other than theme songs and popular songs playing on the radio. The few times people had asked for something by Chopin or Beethoven, Ty had easily been able to laugh off their request as a joke, which was how the requests were usually meant. People had a sense of how well they thought he could play, and they kept their requests in that range of difficulty.

Ty knew full well that the song the young woman in the wheelchair had just requested was way beyond the level of skill he should possess. That was why he had interrupted the song, fumbling briefly with the notes before grinding to an almost painful halt.

He glanced away. There was no way he could risk it. There were too many people in here, and all of them would know that he had just done something impossible. He glanced back, and his gut twisted. Really, what would be the harm? It wasn't like it was Chopin. He had showed off a bit on the court before, mostly to give the fans something to cheer about if the game wasn't going their way, and it had never caused any harm. People would applaud, congratulate him on the move. Not once had anyone seemed to think "if he can do that, he can do anything." At least, not in seriousness. Surely it would be the same here. All he would be doing was making this young woman's day.

He took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll try again."

Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2 performed by Adam Gyorgy. Start at 4:20 for the second half. ​

Ty sealed away his mind into a quiet place where it could sit unobtrusively, and committed his fingers to the piano, and to the second half of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2.

He did not notice as the dinning hall went silent in awe, as the notes changed from a quick, beautiful melody to a brash series of notes made famous from use in the 70's cartoons. His performance was intoxicating, as his fingers blurred across the keys faster than seemed humanly possible.

And then it was over, and his trance was broken by a thunder of applause, so loud as to lift the roof right off the hall. Ty blinked in surprise.

What had he just done?

 

[Ashi]

There appeared to be some initial uncertainty about whether Ty would attempt the song again, evident in the way his eyes flickered about. He acted like it would be the end of him if he did so, or that's how it seemed to Vienna. She couldn't help but wonder why exactly it mattered so much. It wasn't like the world would come to an end if he turned out to be the person she was looking for. The worst that would happen was that his lifestyle might change; however, that was only if he would agree to leaving Chicago. That didn't really seem likely either. How random was it to be asked to go a whole day's worth of travel out west with a bunch of strangers, and not to mention suspicious? Vienna's expression darkened a little at the thought before she forced it to the back of her mind. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. Ty hadn't even started playing yet.

With a calming breath, Ty agreed to try again. The young woman's eyes lit up and she smiled and bit her lip, looking as though she might burst with excitement. As he prepared to play, the entire room fell into suspenseful silence, holding its breath for the anomaly about to occur. It was a truly beautiful anomaly, too, for he played like one who had spent years mastering the skill finally awarded the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. His fingers were all over the keys, pounding out the classical number as if it were merely Chopsticks. It was hypnotizing, mysterious, and uplifting in an indescribable way. As the tempo increased in speed so did Vienna's heartbeat until it thudded so loudly in her ears that she could almost hardly hear the piano or the applause that came when the song ended.

Vienna couldn't help the grin on her face as the crowd erupted or the wave of relief she felt in that moment. "Th-that was amazing. You p-played wonderfully." She praised, clapping, though not so vigorously as the others. She found the look of surprise on Ty's face amusing. "You really are the man who can do anything." Her eyes locked onto him then, shining with a new determination.

 

[Peregrine]

For a moment Ty hoped he had misheard her statement over the thunder of applause as the students whooped and cheered for his performance, but he knew that was only wishful thinking. Something inside him twisted with worry. This wasn't the first time someone had said something like that. He would occasionally show up to various athletic club meetings around campus, simply for the fun of interacting with other people, and he had never felt too worried at showing the people up at their own sport, although usually only a little bit. Many of them had teased him about being able to do anything, and even more had asked, half in amazement half in frustration, if there was anything he couldn't do. Ty had unconsciously known that they weren't serious, and he would often reply in a joking manner 'pass my next test' or something along those lines. But the way the young woman said it, he somehow knew that she meant it in all seriousness, and that she understood the full implications of what that meant.

Suddenly, Tyrell felt his gut tighten with something that could only be fear. Who was this woman? He had never seen her before, until suddenly she had shown up out of the blue to request a song from him that belonged in a concert hall. Then she said that. Who was she, and, perhaps more importantly, what did she want?

Ty glanced around anxiously and suddenly noticed the three adults hovering by the door. They did not look all that threatening, but they were another thing that was out of place. Another thing that did not belong. In that moment all his street wise instincts kicked back in. He had been methodically working to repress them over the four years he had lived on the campus of the University of Illinois, but in that moment he welcomed the sudden rush of paranoia. His eyes went hard.

There was no way that they would make a move in here, not with all the people around, but in this bustle of activity he was also at risk if they had anyone else in the crowd. He didn't know everyone on campus, and there were too many people pressing in around him, wanting to slap him on the back or express their amazement at the performance. He had to get away and go somewhere he could better assess what was a potential threat and what was not. Ty knew that he might be overreacting, but there was something in the eyes of these four people, something familiar from a long repressed memory that made the short hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He stood from the piano, and the people crowding around him had no choice but to take a step back or be pushed out of the way by his dense, lean body. "I'm glad you enjoyed that," he said, the wide smile on his face not touching his eyes, "but I think I'm going to call it a day now, alright? I'll see you all tomorrow."

People nodded in response to his words, and began to move off in small groups. He used the cover of their movement, while they blocked the view of the woman in the wheelchair and the three people struggled to keep track of him through the flow of bodies, to slip out through the door. He would make for his dorm, where he could actually recognize everyone who belonged there.

It wasn't until Ty was halfway across campus that he realized he had also left Emily behind. He shook the thought from his mind. He knew she would forgive him.

For her part, Emily had watched Ty's performance silently, the usually happy expression that covered her face while she listened to him play gone. She had seen the hard expression in his eyes when he had looked past and through her, and she had recognized it from her own time roaming the streets of Chicago, when ill tempered men standing on street corners would rake their eyes up and down the length of the road. There was no way she could hear what the woman in the wheelchair had said to him, but she knew that it was not something Ty had wanted to hear. When the young man rushed away so quickly that even Enily lost track of his auburn hair through the people, her worries were confirmed. It was her duty as a friend to intervene. If nothing else, she could give Ty time to escape, until they could meet up later.

Emily worked her way fluidly through the crowd, using her short stature to slip through small gaps. She came to a halt just to the side of the wheelchair, where everyone had left a gap in fear of accidentally running into it, and spoke without preamble.

"What did you say to him?" Emily tried to keep her voice calm and nothing more than curious, but she knew she had at least partially failed in the endeavor, as some hostility and aggressiveness had undoubtedly slipped into her tone. She tried to calm herself down. It was no good jumping to conclusions.

 

[Ashi]

"Uh-oh~, looks like I said something I shouldn't have." Vienna mused humorously to herself. She saw the look on Ty's face, the way his eyes hardened as he glanced about the cafeteria in his rising panic. Her words struck a nerve, and his reaction only confirmed the suspicion that led her there in the first place. "He noticed." Her sharp blue eyes narrowed a little as they honed in on the young man, her grin slowly declining into a wry smirk. He'd discovered Steve and Shari and Toni standing by the doors. Of course, they were kind of obvious in the way they didn't try even a little bit to blend in. Vienna frowned then. She quickly lost sight of Ty as the crowd dispersed.

The three adults stood idly by, watching and waiting for Vienna's signal. They spotted Ty as he was leaving, losing him in the rush of migrating students. Sharona searched for Vienna in the crowd; she was easy enough to spot since people made a point to give her room. The young woman's eyes were already on her as if only waiting to catch Shari's gaze. It was only slight, but her head of dark hair gave a nod of confirmation. The older woman turned immediately to her husband, lightly placing her hand on his arm to catch his wandering attention.

"It's confirmed." She leaned up toward his ear and spoke in a low voice, but her words weren't difficult to hear even in the surrounding hustle and bustle. Steve glanced at her, as though he really needed to make sure she was serious, before he nodded to Toni. The two men slipped out of the cafeteria at the back of the crowd where they split up and traveled with the flow of students on either side, searching for Ty. Sharona stood by to keep an eye on Vienna, who still sat in her chair, unmoving except to follow people with her eyes. She wasn't aware of Emily's presence until she spoke and blinked at the blonde in surprise. It was only for an instant, but Emily may very well have caught a glimpse of her morbid blue glare which changed almost as instantly as the first syllable left Emily's mouth.

"Oh! Um, I.." Vienna murmured at the blonde's unexpected presence. There was a hostile undertone to Emily's voice despite she tried to stay calm. "I only said that he can do anything... I guess it freaked him out." Her surprise changed to well-feigned uncertainty, then to a look of appeal. "I wasn't trying to upset him."

 

[Peregrine]

The look on the young woman's face was enough to calm Emily's temper. Reason reasserted itself, and the blonde remembered that most people rarely said or did rude things on purpose. They were all accidents. All the same, the expression in Ty's eyes haunted her memory. She couldn't let the woman go until she understood more.

But how could she understand more? What could she ask? Emily felt like her mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour. She was committed to conversation, and she had to say something. She couldn't just stand here like an idiot. What could she say?

What did she know? The song. The song was the thing that had triggered this whole thing. Poor Ty. She could remember the day he had come to her, asking for the most well known names in piano history. It had taken him nearly a week to memorize them. She had said them so many times that she had started to see their names in her sleep. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff. Why hasn't she thought to include Liszt? His songs were some of the most beautiful but complicated solo piano pieces in the world. But very few people knew who Liszt was, or the names of his songs, even though they were performed in concert halls around the world. Who would ever ask a college student performing on an upright piano in their school's cafeteria to play a song that belonged at grand recitals, performed by individuals who must have practiced that one song for hundreds of hours to get it to the level Ty had just performed. But what college student could do such a thing?

Emily knew that Ty wasn't like anyone else in the world. She had thought long and hard about why Ty would be so desperate to learn those names. Slowly, over the course of three years of knowing the young man, the answer had begun to come to her, as impossible as it was. This young woman was more right than she knew. Ty could do anything. Or maybe it wasn't more than she knew. Maybe this young woman knew too. But how?

Suddenly, Emily knew what she needed to ask. The silence was starting to stretch, but it wasn't to such a point that the young woman and the older woman who was now at her side would question what was going on. Emily bit her lip, staring at the young woman with intensity.

"Why did you ask Ty to play a song like that? Obviously you knew its complexity. That song takes years to master. What made you so sure he could pull it off?"

 

[Ashi]

Who was that blonde girl approaching Vienna? What was she saying to her? Sharona's hazel-green eyes narrowed in the girls' direction and she cautiously stepped towards them. Whatever her daughter said to the blonde seemed to have calmed her down, as her expression visibly softened. A sense of relief washed over her; although, she still approached them. It didn't seem necessary to hover over Vienna; but as Steve would say, one could never be too careful. There was no telling what a person was capable of or might do, especially with the knowledge of what Vienna could do. Who wouldn't want a brain like an infinite encyclopedia? Knowledge was power, after all, and there were so many different ways to use it. As Sharona came up beside them, she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands gently on the dark-haired girl's shoulders.

Vienna gazed with widened eyes at Emily, searching her face as if for answers to unasked questions. Her eyes held a vague intensity, a strong feeling that couldn't be placed. Even as Sharona came up and put her hands on her shoulders, her gaze did not falter. Indeed there had been no certainty that Ty would be able to pull of that song. There were only two possibilities: that either he would be able to play it or he wouldn't. Exposing him if he was able was a risk that had to be taken and it was a risk that would pay off in the long run. As if in thought, Vienna quirked her lips and tilted her head slightly to one side, considering Emily's questions. What answer could she give that would deem plausible to her?

"But of course. I'm a fan of Liszt. I love to hear p-piano covers. Your friend was p-playing the p-piano and he seemed to have the talent for it. It was just a hunch." Vi offered a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. She was trying to play it off simply as coincidence, despite it was pretty far-fetched even for that. It wasn't likely that Emily would accept that explanation, but Vienna planned to stick to her story. Perhaps if she was insistent, Emily would give up on it.

 

[Peregrine]

Emily matched the young woman's stare perfectly. It seemed that neither of their eyes were going to waver, although one of them would have to break first. Her first reaction was to call "bullshit", but such aggression would never get her anywhere. That was even more true now that the older woman, her mother, perhaps, was standing behind her. The longer Emily talked to the wheelchair bound girl, the more her suspicions grew. If she wanted to learn anything from this, she was going to have to find a way to trip the girl up. Unless she made a mistake and Emily caught her on it, she was never going to be able to figure out what the woman wanted with Ty.

Perhaps it was time to try a different line of questions. "Why are you here? I know you don't go to this school, I would have seen you around."

 

[Ashi]

"She's not going to give up, is she?" Vienna thought to herself as she looked up at Emily. She barely managed to stay the innocent expression on her face and keep from saying something she shouldn't. When it became apparent that neither girl would give in, Vienna realized that she would have to be the one to submit. This she would do, but only begrudgingly and because there wasn't enough time to waste challenging Emily. There was far more important business to attend to. "Oh, I'm just here to look at the campus. I was thinking of attending in the fall." That was a complete and utter bullshit lie. Just looking at the place, it was clear to Vienna that the school was sub-par to any she would attend; although, it wasn't like she needed to attend a school. Steve probably wouldn't let her, anyway. Vienna glanced over her shoulder to Sharona, who prepared to wheel the chair around. "Sp-peaking of, we'd better be going. So much to do, so little time."

 

[Peregrine]

No. She hadn't learned anything. Emily was frozen as the young woman was wheeled around by the woman at her back, and they began to slowly make their way through the crowds of dispersing students. This wasn't the way it was supposed to have worked. She was supposed to have found the answer. How else was she going to protect Ty, if she didn't find out what it was about this young lady that had set her off so much. Ty, who could do anything he wanted, but had taken nearly three months of daily reminders to remember her name. She had picked up pieces about him slowly, gathered over years, and fighting her own belief that it was impossible. That he was impossible. Eventually, incontrovertible evidence had overwhelmed her certainty of what was and was not. Even Ty didn't know that she knew.

The young woman had to be there for Ty. There was no other explanation. She had gone right to him, asked for the impossible, and had to have known exactly what it meant. But how could she possibly know about him? It wasn't as though it was common knowledge, what he could do. Ty did his best to keep it secret, and Emily did everything in her power to help him, never questioning why it was so important to him that no one know. That meant that, somehow, she had to know. She had to have at least been able to guess what he could do. But thoughts like that didn't just come to people. No one went looking for a man who could do anything.

Not unless she had some reason to believe it would be the truth.

Suddenly it all clicked for Emily. She knew the answer. And now she just had to find a way to catch it. To get her to make a mistake. A desperate plan entered her mind. If it didn't work, her chance would be lost. But it was the same thing that she had just thought herself. No one would ever simply guess something like that. She would be able to use that to her advantage.

"Wait," she called out after the young lady. "I gave you my name. Won't you at least give me yours?"

 

[Ashi]

"Hm?" Vienna turned in her chair as Emily called out to her, prompting Sharona to stop and turn the chair. It didn't occur to the dark-haired girl what the blonde had in mind for her, the plan she only just concocted. With a quirk of her brow, Vi smiled. "I'm sorry. It's Vienna." She said with the same innocence in her tone as before, though this time it was genuine. "It was nice meeting you, Emily." Vienna turned back around, expecting Sharona to wheel her back round. The red-haired woman had her hands poised over the handles when she gasped. She drew one hand up to her lips, staring at Vienna with widened eyes. In that instant, Vi's eyes too grew wide, like saucers, and a look of horror spread across her face as she realize her mistake only too late.

"Oh.. oh my.." The young woman stammered, glancing between the two. Her horror changed quickly as she focused on Emily and her eyes narrowed. "You.. know?"

 

[Peregrine]

Emily felt like her gut was about to twist itself into a knot that would never untangle, and it was taking all of her willpower to keep her face blank of any emotion. If she let it out, the game would be up. The young woman might realize her game, might catch the trap. But, no, she was speaking. Vienna. She hadn't seen it. Emily had her ammunition. And then it got even better. She actually said Emily's name. A gleam entered her eyes, and a smile spread over her full lips. Now the ball was in the other court, and Emily might actually be able to figure out what it was these people wanted with Ty.

She couldn't deny a small hint of shame as she saw the look of fear on Vienna's face. It was almost like the look that had crossed Ty's face when he realized what he had done on the piano. She pressed her lips tight together, glancing away, before straightening her back in determination. No. She couldn't give up now.

"I didn't know. I guessed, but I didn't know for sure. It was the only reason why I could think.... you would be interested in Ty."

 

[Ashi]

Vienna slowly lowered and averted her gaze, eyes falling on no particular spot on the tile floor. She didn't like to admit it, but she'd been had. How could she make such an elementary mistake? If Steve were there, he'd be all over her, giving her the third degree for not being more careful. It wasn't much better that Sharona witnessed it; although, there was comfort in knowing she wouldn't tell anyone. After a moment of consideration, Vi looked back up at Emily. She wore a seriousness that might not have prior seemed possible on her generally soft countenance.

"I wasn't wrong th-then, about your friend?" Vienna confirmed, her question sounding more like a statement. Whether or not it was all conjecture, she wouldn't let on. "He can do anything, th-that is, except for learning or remembering th-things." Yet another ambiguous-sounding sentence. Perhaps it was due to the certainty that Vienna had. The dark-haired girl sat up a little straighter, her hands resting on her lap. "I am indeed interested in him, for I believe him to be my op-posite."

 

[Peregrine]

Did she dare admit it? If she said it out loud, that would make it so final. So... irreversible. But she still didn't know what Vienna wanted from Ty, and there was no way that the tight-lipped young woman was going to tell her anything if Emily didn't make some sort of concession first. And what better concession was there than the answer to the question that had brought Vienna all the way here?

"No, you were not mistaken," she said softly and with a sigh. It should have overwhelmed her, the knowledge of this young girl. Ty had been hard enough, and she'd had three years to adjust to what he could do, slowly watching and gathering evidence until there was no doubting the truth. But this girl was Ty's... opposite. That meant that she could know anything, but couldn't do anything. She could know anything. The idea seemed beyond comprehension, and yet Emily had guessed at it. What kind of mess had she gotten herself into? What kind of mess had she gotten Ty into?

"Tyrell is my friend," Emily continued, her voice still soft. "What do you... want with him?"

 

[Ashi]

"Well.." Vienna paused a moment, contemplating an answer to Emily's question. How could she answer that: What did she want with Ty? There was no easy explanation, especially not one involving who she and Sharona, Steve, and Antoni really were. She furrowed her dark brows, wracking her brain for what to say. 'Just when my knowledge deserts me...' She thought ruefully, clenching her jaw in frustration. Then, it came to her.

"I want to study him... We want to." Vi said simply, softly, indicating the others as well. "We want to find out why the two of us are the way we are; why he can do things and why I can know things. But we can't do that without him. If we did such research only on myself, it would be incomplete." Despite the seriousness that remained in her expression, Vienna's face had softened to match her tone of voice. She was now more or less appealing to Emily. "But it's not so one-sided. We can help him."

 

[Peregrine]

They wanted to study him? The first place Emily's mind went was the TV shows that she and Ty would occasionally watch on the weekends, where different people would get locked up in whitewashed rooms, to be experimented on by psychopathic scientists until they finally managed to escape. She felt sweat bead on her forehead, until she finally calmed herself down. No, that only happened in stories. Vienna had already confirmed that she was like Ty, at least in the sense that she was different from everyone else in the world, and here she was, happy and healthy, able to roam, even if it was under supervision. She wanted to bring Ty there, and she wanted to help him.

Unless of course she'd been brainwashed, and they would want to do that to Ty...

No, she knew she was being ridiculous. "How would you be able to help him?"